The Foxes
by Evan Ray
Summary: Firestar and his Clan must prepare for great trouble even worse than Bloodclan.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Firestar tasted the air. Mouse! In the corner of his eye he saw the mouse scuffling among the leaves. He quickly dropped into the hunter's crouch and crept up to it. It heard him, but it was too late. Firestar was already in the air. He killed it fast before it could squeal. He purred with satisfaction. Firestar was enjoying this hunt so far. He, Sandstorm, and Cloudtail had been hunting since dawn. Suddenly, a new scent interrupted his thoughts. "Fox! I should warn Sandstorm and Cloudtail!" Firestar thought. He raced through the forest, but everywhere he went he scented fox. "Why can't I get rid of this scent?" he thought. Suddenly, a weight crashed into him. "The fox!" he thought. He was wrong though. It was actually Brambleclaw. "Brambleclaw! What are you doing here?" Firestar said. "I was on a hunting patrol with Dustpelt and Ashfur when I scented fox. I thought I should get you," Brambleclaw said. "Where did you scent the fox?" Firestar asked. "Near Fourtrees," he said. "I scented one too! Near Tallpines," said Firestar. "We should find Sandstorm, Cloudtail, Dustpelt and Ashfur and get back to the camp!" And together they raced through the forest.

"The sun is going down. It's getting dark. And we can't even pick up a scent trail. Where are they?" Firestar had a feeling that his question would not soon be answered. Then he picked up a scent. "Ashfur," he thought. "Finally!" But when he found Ashfur he was not relieved. He found him lying on the forest floor barely breathing. "Ashfur!" he said. "Brambleclaw, let's get him back to camp." Before they could go, Firestar scented fox again much closer than it was before. "Oh no!" Firestar thought. "Brambleclaw! Get him back to camp, I'll hold the fox!" Firestar ordered. "Okay," Brambleclaw said. Brambleclaw spun around and raced through the forest. "So much for hunting," Firestar thought bitterly.

Firestar braced for battle. "Where is that fox?

I smell it, but where is it?" Firestar thought. Then, suddenly, the fox scent disappeared. "What?" Firestar thought. "Wait a minute, how could there be so many fox scents? Oh no! I have to find the other cats!" He hoped what he thought wasn't true. He scented Dustpelt's faint trail and he raced off in the direction it led.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Oh no, I hope I'm not too late! What if the foxes have already got him?" Firestar thought, as he raced through the forest along Dustpelts small trail. He thought he noticed the scent of fox growing stronger as he followed the trail. "Oh no!" he thought. And then, for some reason, the fox scent got weaker. And then, stronger. "What? Why is the scent going off and on? What is going on?" he thought, as he quickened his pace to find Dustpelt.

He was getting really tired, so he stopped to take a rest break. Then, he noticed something. "Pine trees! There are no pine trees in ThunderClan territory. Wait, ShadowClan territory has pine trees. How far did I run? And why did Dustpelt come this far? Well, I know one thing. He didn't come here willingly." And now, he was faced with a tough decision. Should he look for Dustpelt, or go back?

What he decided wasn't very leader-like, but he did it anyway.

"If a patrol finds me, I'll say I'm going to the Moonstone.

Oh, what have I gotten myself into?" he thought, as he followed Dustpelt's trail. Then, he scented a patrol. "I can't let them find me!" he thought. He quickly hid in the undergrowth as the patrol passed by. "I hope they don't scent me or Dustpelt," he thought. He waited for several minutes until the patrol was gone. When he was sure they were gone, he kept following Dustpelt's

trail. "That's strange. Why is the trail just leading straight? Maybe he was looking for the other cats too. Or maybe something dragged him here." Then, he noticed something else - Sandstorm's scent, right beside Dustpelt's. Then, on the other side, Graystripe's scent. And, a few mouse-lengths away, Cinderpelt's scent. "What were all these cats doing here?" he thought. "Oh wait, I'm such a mousebrain. I went to the Moonstone a few days ago with these cats. So that means Dustpelt didn't come here today. I should just get back to the ThunderClan camp and see if any of the cats have come back yet." So he ran off in the direction he thought ThunderClan territory was.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Only StarClan knows how long he ran. He knew one thing though. He was lost. He barely knew this territory. Even when he went to the Moonstone, he had Cinderpelt to guide him. Everywhere he went it looked the same. He was tempted to ask the ShadowClan patrols to help him get back to his own territory, but something held him back. "I guess it's for my own good," he thought. Just when he was about to give up, he smelled something. "The ShadowClan border!" he thought. He raced over to where it was. He was half right, it was the ShadowClan border But it was the one leading into WindClan. "Oh great, I'm this far from the ThunderClan border already?" He thought long and hard about how he could get back to his territory, when suddenly, he heard something. A growl. He spun around to see what made it.

When he turned around, he was staring straight into a fox's eyes.

The fox attacked first. It swiped at Firestar's muzzle and barely missed. Firestar jumped back. The fox pounced! This time he wasn't ready. The fox landed on him. He tried to get it off but he was pinned down completly. He closed his eyes expecting to feel sharp claws ripping at his neck. They didn't come. He felt the fox get off of him suddenly. He heard the fox yelp in pain and run off into the forest. "Miss me?" said a familiar voice. He opened his eyes and saw that it was Sandstorm. "Definitely!" That was the only thing he remembered saying before he went unconscious.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Firestar dreamed he was in an unknown forest. The sun shown off of his flame-colored coat, making it look like fire. When suddenly, another cat padded out of the bushes. He recognized the cat instantly as Bluestar, a blueish-gray she-cat who used to be the Thunderclan leader before him.

"Bluestar," he meowed, and dipped his head respectfully.

"There is great trouble coming," Bluestar said. "Turn enemies into allies to avoid death to all cats. Unite or die, Firestar. Unite or die,"

Then Bluestar started fading away into silver mist. "Wait! What do you mean? What trouble? Tell me more!" Firestar exclaimed.

"Wait!" but it was too late. In a blinding flash of silver light, Bluestar disappeared.

When Firestar awoke, he was in the Thunderclan camp. Cinderpelt, the medicine cat, was tending to his wounds. Apparently, another fox had attacked while Sandstorm was bringing him back to camp. He was too weak to remember all of it, but he did remember the fox making a deep gash down his arm.

And sure enough, that's where it hurt the most. He tried to get up, but it just hurt more. Heck, even thinking hurt, So he just lie down and slept again.

He never had that dream again. Right before he fell asleep each night he hoped for an explanation, but it never came. Finally after about four days it didn't hurt so much any more, so he got up and the first thought that came into his head said "I'm hungry," So he went to the fresh kill pile and ate a mouse or two when he finally remembered why he had been asleep for four days. Suddenly, all of it came back to him, the foxes, Dustpelt, Sandstorm, everything. He had been thinking about the dream for so long he forgot why he had been attacked by the fox, why he had been in the medicine den so long. Suddenly, a bigger scent then his prey covered the whole camp, it was so strong that at first he had trouble identifying it, but then after a few second he recognized it. Fox.

Note: I know these chapters are really short and I will try to make bigger chapters in the future this will be the last short chapter. (I hope.)


End file.
